Colonial Beach rescue squad crashes in K.G.

An ambulance from the Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad crashed Sunday night when the driver ran off the road, overcorrected and the vehicle came to rest on the driver’s side, according to Virginia State Police.

The crash happened at 9:05 p.m. on State Route 3 near Lagrange Lane in King George County. No patients were in the rescue squad.

The driver, Alexandra Nance, 24, was trapped in the vehicle for about an hour and had to be extricated, said Sgt. Thomas Molnar. She suffered serious non-life threatening injuries and was flown to INOVA Fairfax Hospital. She was wearing her safety belt, Molnar said.

Police say she was heading eastbound on Route 3 when she ran off the right side of the roadway and overcorrected. The ambulance crossed back over the road and struck an embankment causing it to overturn and come to rest on the driver’s side.

Two other rescue squad members, Robert Eaby, 41, and Michael Nance, 30, suffered serious non-life threatening injuries and were taken by ambulance to Mary Washington Hospital. Eaby is the pastor of Cornerstone Chapel in King George.

The crash remains under investigation. If the accident was due to driver negligence, the squad will take “appropriate action,” said Colonial Beach Rescue Squad Chief Wesley Melson.

He added that the driver was doing the speed limit and that the ambulance didn’t have any mechanical failures. He wasn’t sure how the crash happened.

“It just seems like an accident,” he said.

Alexandra Nance, who’s married to Michael Nance, one of the two passengers, has been driving for about two years and had no other incidents, Melson said.

She was released from the hospital this morning, but both passengers remain hospitalized and are being treated for broken bones.

The three-person crew started their shift at 6 p.m. Sunday and were returning to Colonial Beach after taking a patient to the hospital in Fredericksburg, Melson said.

An initial report on Twitter said a passenger had been ejected from the ambulance, but Melson said that wasn’t the case. Eaby crawled out of the vehicle and was in a field when other rescuers arrived.

Melson thanked the units that responded to the crash, including several vehicles from King George, White Oak and the Colonial Beach Fire Department, which helped with extrication.

“These crew members are like family, and we are so thankful that they will recover fully and be able to rejoin our team,” Melson said.

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